Week 6: America

Share This:

Monday, July 6, 2015

By:

Patrick Mangan

Hello,

This week was a short week. Due to the Fourth of July taking place on Saturday this year, we were given that Friday off, giving us a very much appreciated 3-day weekend. To start our our short week at work, we had all the SPS interns gather at ACP to give them a tour of our building and work area. All of us ACP interns took the other interns around the building and showed them what we have been working on all summer, and our mentors all gave a quick spiel on their departments as well. This tour took all day, so we were provided with breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, I got my fair share of fruit, coffee, and various pastries. For lunch I had two roast beef sandwiches, chips, cookies, brownies, soda, and I went nowhere near the salad.

For work, I spent a majority of the time working with the NGSS and forming my flow chart for all the standards. Once I finish this chart, I think it will be a very useful tool for physics as well as other science teachers in districts that are moving to adopt the NGSS for their science education.

My Fourth of July was easily the highlight of the week, though. Me and a couple other interns went to the National Mall and sat by the Washington Monument to watch the fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial. It was a great experience. There was a concert playing elsewhere, but there were speakers all over the National Mall for everyone to hear. They played before the fireworks started and continued on through the show, playing patriotic music the whole time. The fireworks were great, and I couldn't help but watch them in awe while thinking about how much I love America. After the show, getting back to the metro station was a chore, because there were approximately 100,000 people in attendance (about twice the size of my whole home town), and most of them were trying to pack onto the trains as well. But we eventually got back, and I finished off the night by going to 7-11 and getting a bacon-wrapped hot dog and four deep fried mini-tacos, like a true American. It was a beautiful day, and a Fourth that I will remember forever.